In the past few months, Twitter has taken several measures to prevent the spread of misinformation on the platform such as adding a credible source at the top of the timeline, and many more. Today, the company introduces new labels and warning messages that will provide additional context and information on some Tweets containing disputed or misleading information related to COVID-19.
A couple of months ago Twitter broadened its policy guidance to address content that goes directly against guidance on COVID-19 from authoritative sources of global and local public health information. The social media platform will start using these labels and warning messages to “provide additional explanations or clarifications in situations where the risks of harm associated with a Tweet are less severe but where people may still be confused or misled by the content.”
With this move, Twitter is making it easier for users to find facts and make informed decisions about what they see on their Twitter feed.
How these new labels and warnings will work.
Earlier this year Twitter introduced a label for Tweets containing synthetic and manipulated media. The newly launched labels will appear on Tweets containing potentially harmful, misleading information related to COVID-19.
Twitter notes that “these labels will link to a Twitter-curated page or external trusted source containing additional information on the claims made within the Tweet.”
The social media giant also states that “depending on the propensity for harm and type of misleading information, warnings may also be applied to a Tweet. These warnings will inform people that the information in the Tweet conflicts with public health experts’ guidance before they view it.”
Twitter will take action based on three categories: Misleading information, Disputed claims and Unverified claims. The social media platform further reveals that it will continue to introduce new labels to provide context around different types of unverified claims and rumors as needed.
“Our teams are using and improving on internal systems to proactively monitor content related to COVID-19. These systems help ensure we’re not amplifying Tweets with these warnings or labels and detecting the high-visibility content quickly,” Twitter notes.
The social media giant also says that it will continue to rely on trusted partners to identify content that is likely to result in offline harm. “Given the dynamic situation, we will prioritize review and labeling of content that could lead to increased exposure or transmission.”
Twitter confirms that it will keep working to build tools and offer context so that people can find credible and authentic information on the platform.